Eat In or Dine Out: Solo Stove CMO Liz Vanzura Shares S’more Insights

 
For this episode of Eat In or Dine Out, HATCH CEO Jennifer Harrington sat down with Liz Vanzura, CMO of Solo Stove and board member of Solo Brands, to discuss building high-performing teams, balancing internal talent with agency partners, creating content at scale, and how AI is changing marketing.
 

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TRANSCRIPT HIGHLIGHTS

 

Building the Team

Jen: You chose “eat in,” so let’s start with your internal team. What was your approach when you joined Solo Stove?

Liz: Like any CMO, the first thing I did was evaluate the talent. We were fortunate because Solo already had an incredible team in place. We’re a very culture-focused company, so my goal wasn’t to rebuild—it was to put great people in the right roles and make sure we had the right chemistry.

We also look for talent wherever it lives. While we’re headquartered in Dallas, we hire the best people we can find, regardless of geography.

 

Moving Fast

Jen: Solo Stove has become known for moving quickly. How do you make that work?

Liz: We have a lean team, but everyone is incredibly passionate and collaborative. Under my team, we oversee brand, direct-to-consumer, Amazon, and Walmart, so efficiency is critical.
One area where I invested was content production. We need to react quickly to cultural moments, so bringing in editing and production expertise helped us become faster without sacrificing quality.

 

Selling Togetherness

Jen: One thing I admire about Solo is how you’ve built a brand around connection.

Liz: That’s exactly right. Research showed people are feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected. We realized we’re not really selling fire pits—we’re selling togetherness.

That insight drove our Summit Series launch and a number of experiential activations. Whether it’s New York, South by Southwest, or the Super Bowl, our goal is to create opportunities for people to gather and connect.

 

The Content Machine

Jen: Everyone talks about content. How do you approach it?

Liz: We think of ourselves as a content machine. Content comes from everywhere—events, customer stories, product education, user-generated content, testimonials, and cultural moments.

The key is understanding that different types of content serve different purposes. Some content helps people understand the product. Some helps them understand how it makes them feel.

 

Better Together

Jen: This show often reveals that the best marketing organizations aren’t choosing between internal teams and agencies—they’re using both.

Liz: Absolutely. Our agency and production partners are extensions of our team. Many are people I’ve worked with for years, and that trust allows us to move faster.

When we need a big idea or additional resources, we bring in outside partners. The goal isn’t internal versus external—it’s building the right team for the challenge.

 

AI in Action

Jen: How is AI changing the way you work?

Liz: We’re very AI-forward. We’re using it for planning, analysis, media optimization, and even AI personas that help us evaluate ideas.

One of our biggest investments has been building our own media mix model to make smarter decisions around media spend.
But we’re not using AI to replace people. We’re using it to help people make better decisions.

 

Final Takeaway

Jen: One thing that stood out from our conversation is that your answer wasn’t really “eat in” or “dine out.” It was both.

Liz: Exactly. We have an amazing internal team and incredible external partners. The magic happens when everyone works together toward the same goal.

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